How to avoid the wrath of Zeus: Percy Jackson Style
by Lovothemoon
Summary: Throughout history, Zeus has been known to be paranoid. He will kill anyone who is even remotely a threat to Olympus. What happens when that person is everyones' favourite son of Poseidon? Follow his journey as he gets help from two of the least likely gods, and how he will hide, in plain sight.
1. Chapter 1

**ARTEMIS POV**

"YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?!" Poseidon all but screamed at his youngest brother. Up until this point, I had not been paying attention. I had been (discreetly) listening to music, something I had started to do as of late. Mainly because there was never anything to discuss at meetings. Always _My domain's better than yours! No it isn't!_ (Zeus and Poseidon) and _You know you would be much better off if you had a bowl of cereal._ (Demeter) _If only you did what I said, we could all get along so well_ (Hera). Nag, nag, nag, whinge, whinge, whinge. Occasionally I would be entertained in a prank Apollo and Hermes pulled, but they were few and far between. Honestly, we may be the current rulers of the world, but they are worse than five year old kids. But when my uncle started screaming at father, I started paying attention. Now, Poseidon often yells at his brother, but never this loud or aggressively. So whatever father had said, was a little more important than who had the better domains. Hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as another war, as we had just defeated Gaea, and are seriously drained.

"He has become too powerful! He needs to be terminated. I don't care what you think, it is happening." My father yelled at Poseidon, who was trembling in rage. You didn't need to be a child of Athena to figure out Zeus was talking about Perseus Jackson, as that was the only killable person that would scare my father. He had indeed become quite powerful, but that was expected, as he kind of needed that power to defeat the earth mother Gaea. The weak and scrawny boy that he was when he began this journey of heroism just would not do. To defeat more powerful enemies, you had to become stronger, faster, sharper. Like in a video game. Oh, don't look at me like that. I may be a (nearly) 3000 year old goddess, but I do need some form of entertainment, and through the centuries I have learned new games to do so. But that's beside the point. I tuned back into the conversation

"…be killed!" Poseidon seethed.  
"One good reason? I just said he has become to powerful! Anyone who is that strong should be killed, regardless of who it is." Zeus counteracted.  
"Unless it was Thalia or Jason, because they are yours. Anyone other than _your_ children that strong will die you mean." I interrupted. Both turned their heads towards me so fast they would have gotten whiplash if they were mortal. Zeus's eyes narrowed.  
"That is not true. If any demigod was too strong, they will die."  
I raised my eyebrow. "Really? So you would be willing to kill your only demigod daughter? Because she is getting more powerful." He spluttered at that. "My point exactly."  
Glaring at me, he turned back to see nobody else was paying attention. His anger seemed to increase. He grabbed his master bolt and shot a tendril of lightning to the centre of the room, resulting in a massive _BOOM_ that startled the other gods out their self induced stupor. Glaring at them all, he raised his voice.

"It has come to my attention that Perseus Jackson has become to powerful to live, and that he must die. However, because of how we rule, this must be put to a vote. All those in favour of killing him?" To my horror, eight hands rose. Eight was how many was needed for a rule or outcome to be put into action, as there were 14 of us. Hades and Hestia had had their thrones returned to them by, you guessed it, Perseus. Thank the fates that their hands weren't up. Those that had their hands raised were Ares, Zeus (duh), Dionysus, Aphrodite (because she couldn't get the man to sleep with her. Whore), Athena, Hera, Demeter and Hephaestus. Smiling in satisfaction, Zeus continued, more for formality than anything else, "Those that wish for him to live?" The six remaining put our hands up in defeat. There wasn't much that we could do… or was there? Before I could extend on that thought, father started talking again.

"It is decided. Perseus Jackson shall die, one week from today. Council dismissed." There were flashes of light as all those who voted for him to die left, leaving those that did not. Uncle Poseidon sighed, not really noticing the rest of us, before he himself flashed out. Hestia spoke up, making me jump, as she is often so quiet you can forget she is there. "I believe we all want a way to keep our hero alive, no?" We all looked to each other and nodded. "I suggest we all meet in my palace, so as to remove us from our current placement." She said. That was a good idea, as my father could, in a way that I don't understand, hear what was going on in the throne room whether he is there or not, but he could not 'hear' within another gods palace. We all flashed to Aunt (or sister, in Hades case) Hestia's palace on the outskirts of Olympus. Because an immortal cannot enter another's palace without invitation, we had to appear in front of the door. Hestia wouldn't care if we came and went as we pleased, but you still need to be invited in initially in order to do so.

Now, the main thing about her palace, is that it is unlike any other immortals', as it it's less like a palace, and more like a small three bedroom house. An oaken door at the forefront of the house, with an Indian style mosaic in the top half. When granted access to her house, we stepped in to find a small corridor, large enough to walk side by side with another, but small enough that it didn't seem like a corridor in a horror movie. And yes, I have watched those as well. At the end of the hallway, was a small but cozy living area. Four black leather couches were turned in towards the centre of the room, where a fire flickered between colours. A few paintings graced the walls, some of our family, there was a vase of flowers, and another of… uhh, I'm not sure what that is. It looked like water, but done by a five year old. Or Apollo. Same difference. But what really caught my eye, which definitely did not belong in the peaceful goddess' house, was the sword above the mantlepiece. It didn't look as if it was supposed to be used, more like a decoration, but it did give off a faint aquamarine aura… like the sea. I realised it was a xiphos, the kind of sword that Perseus uses. It was like a memorial to him, a thanks of sorts. It was sweet really.

Turning back to the others, I sat next to Hestia on one of the couches. Each of the others took a couch each, and looked towards her, save Apollo who looked at me quizzically. He then seemed to want to start talking, so being the idiot he is, he did just that. And of course it wasn't even about the issue at hand.

"Now, little sis, I understand why we are all here… except for you. Why are you here?" I glared at him enough to make him flinch, making me smirk.

"First of all, I. AM. OLDER!" I screeched at him. I helped mother birth him. Honestly, is he an idiot? Oh… wait. Yes, he is. "Secondly, I respect the man." Apollos' jaw dropped, as the words _respect_ and _man_ had never left my mouth in the same sentence. He closed it, then opened it again, before uttering a single word. "Why?" Sighing and rolling my eyes, I explained to him. "Listen, and listen well for I will _not_ be repeating myself. He saved my life, from the burden of the weight of the sky, and saved Olympus itself twice. He managed to not only befriend my oldest huntress, but have her fall in love with him, without wanting it. He has done this, and more, and yet stays humble, taking little if any credit, when he should by all rights be cocky as hell. But the main reason is that when we chat he shows respect, mostly, and does not flirt with myself or my hunters, despite a few trying to with him. Capeesh?" He made a noise like a puppy got killed, and muttered "why won't they flirt with me?"

Hades stepping in before I could castrate him, and said in a surprisingly calm voice. "Actually niece, you owe him more than you realise." Turning to my uncle,, I raised an eyebrow, expectantly waiting for him to continue. He shuffled a little awkwardly, before doing so. "How can I say this? Ok, yes he saved your life when he took the sky from you, even if only for a few minutes. But he saved something of yours that you cherish quite dearly." At my blank look, he looked uncomfortable, which is not a word often associated with the lord of the dead. "A women who has been a maiden for three millennia, trapped under a burden she cannot escape from?" I rolled my hand in a continue motion, which made him even more uncomfortable. "A man who fits your expectations of men, and has been trapped under the sky for seven and a half thousand years?" I still didn't get it. It wasn't until the words left my uncles' mouth that I realised for myself, "Your chastity, Artemis." "Wait, you mean to say that my sister owes Percy her virginity?" Apollo said, before bursting into laughter. Glaring at my idiot of a brother, I said to him, in a calm voice that barely withheld my anger, "No, you idiot. I don't." Hades looked at me with a glimmer of fear in his eyes, before saying, "Actually Artemis, you really do."

Rolling my eyes, I retorted with sarcasm laced in my words, "So what exactly do you expect me do, hmm? Rock up at camp half-blood and say, _'Hey Perseus, you know how you saved me from under the sky? Well, technically I owe you my virginity. And i'm here, so, fuck me!_ '?" Glaring at the three boys, I noticed their eyes wide, most likely because of the vulgarity of my outburst. I was so wrong.

"Uhhh, is this a bad time?" Came from behind me, and I stiffened when I heard the voice. My cheeks began to heat up in embarrassment, praying to the Fates that who I thought was behind me actually wasn't. I turned, very slowly, to find an iris message, showing the one and only Perseus Jackson.

 _How the hell am I going to explain this_ I thought as my face impersonated a tomato.


	2. Chapter 2

**Percy POV**

So I had woken up with a bit of a bad feeling, as if something terrible was going to happen. But being the idiot I sometimes am, I just brushed it off and ignored it. Little did I realise that it would change the next year of my life.

As usual, breakfast was a bore. I may love food, and the food is good, but ever since I ate Hestia's cooking, everything else is boring. With the exception of my mothers chocolate chip cookies. That can't be beaten. I sacrificed a large portion of my food, to my father, Hestia and Artemis. Yeah, I know, _You're a guy sacrificing to the goddess of maidens, who hates anyone with something swinging between their legs._ Yeah, she and I aren't exactly best friends, but there has been some mutual respect ever since my third quest to save her… and Annabeth. That name still brought a pain to my chest. She had broken things off with me about a month ago, when she realised the spark between us had gone. Or at least, her spark had. I had been distraught for an entire week and a half, before Nico slapped me in the face and told me to _pull yourself together and try not to destroy the camp_. Oops. Yeah I had accidentally created a small hurricane subconsciously. Thankfully, it was only somewhat strong, so the only thing in any immediate danger had been the strawberry fields. Somehow, they had survived, though I have a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with the music the satyrs play, with a sprinkle of influence from Dionysus.

Speaking of whom, he was for some reason absent from breakfast. He may be a lazy baboon of a man, and he may not actually _eat_ at breakfast, but he was still there every time. Except for today. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, because to be honest I really don't care what he does, I returned to my seat. I cleared my plate relatively quickly, before retiring to my cabin. It was Saturday, so I had nothing on until three this afternoon. I was wondering what to do for the next few hours, when I saw the fountain in the corner. There was a pair of photos pinned to the wall next to it; one of me and my mother, and one of her and my step-father. Paul, not Gabe that is. I scowled at the mere thought of the twat. That's when I had a great idea. Many don't know just how bad Gabe was in my youth, as he kept it hidden. He used to beat me, _a lot,_ mainly whenever I displeased him or he lost a poker game. Which unfortunately was most of the time. Maybe I could pay him a visit, give him some of his own medicine. So with that, I picked up a drachma from the bottom of the pool, and flicked it into the mist.

"Oh Iris, please accept my offering. Show me Hades, most likely in the underworld or Olympus." The mist shimmered before clearing into an image. A voice I recognised as Artemis' cut through to me, saying something I never expected to hear come from her mouth. " _Hey Perseus, you know how you saved me from under the sky? Well, technically I owe you my virginity. And i'm here, so, fuck me!"_ My jaw dropped, as I did not expect that, like, ever. By the time Artemis had finished talking, the image had cleared entirely, allowing me to see what was going on. I saw Hades, Hestia, Artemis, Apollo and Hermes around a small fire in a…house? I don't know. I was too focused on the words of the goddess of maidens. "Uhh, is this a bad time?" I stuttered out. Artemis sat up straighter, and slowly turned to me with a bright red blush on her face, which actually looked kind of cute.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Apollo and Hermes busted up, howling with laughter. Even Hades was struggling not to laugh. Artemis was trying her best to glare at the gods, but it wasn't working at all due to her embarrassment. I managed to say "Artemis, if you want to repay me, an archery lesson is more than enough." without stuttering, which was a feat because of the flash of images that went through my head of the two of us. I am so grateful that she was unable to see my thoughts at the moment, or likely I would be spending the rest of my life as some furry animal. I had spent more than enough time as a guinea-pig on Circe's island, and I did not want a repeat of that. Looking back at the group of gods, Hermes seemed to think of something.

"Hey Perce, we may actually need you here. You are the topic of discussion at the moment." I glanced at Artemis and Apollo answered the question I hadn't even finished creating. "No, that was a one off thing, not actually to do with the conversation. Trust me, you wish that was the actual discussion." He didn't seem like he was joking for once in his immortal life, so I agreed to come. Apollo waved his hand through the image, ending the transmission. Hermes flashed in to my cabin, and I had to avert my eyes to avoid being incinerated. Before I could even open my eyes to greet him, he grabbed my arm, a little to hard by the way, and flashed us back to…wherever he came from. When the light died down, I opened my eyes to see a quaint house, with the aforementioned gods sitting on a couple of couches, looking at me worriedly. I did not like that at all, as it was not usual for _any_ of the gods in front of me to show worry. Ok, no, thats not true. Hestia does, but the others don't. Hermes and Apollo are known for their enthusiastic nature, always in a good mood, while Hades was known for always being in a bad mood, or at the very least uncaring. And Artemis, the goddess who despises showing weakness, _especially_ in front of a man. To see all five of them worried about _me_ said something major was going on.

I stood there awkwardly, before asking "Sooo… whats going on?" There were glances thrown between all of them before Hestia started to answer my question. "Well, earlier today we had a council meeting, and Zeus was being his old paranoid self. You know how he is, anyway, well" that was as far as she got before Hades butted in, saying what Hestia was _trying_ to say nicely in a very blunt way. "Zeus wants you dead because you're too powerful. And eight of the council voted for it, so we were overruled."

I sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" They all stared at me, eyes wide and mouths agape. I raised my eyebrow at them. "As you said, I am a powerful half-blood, and he is paranoid. Did he ever think to get me to swear allegiance to Olympus?" I took their silence as a no. "Moron. First of all, when am I dying, secondly, why are you here?" Hestia looked at me and said in that calming voice of hers, "We are here so you may not die. We all like and care for you. Obviously your father does too, but he is unaware of this gathering." I looked at each of them, and saw a large degree of care and worry within their eyes. I was touched.

"ok, so how do we keep me alive?" They all shared a look, and I realised they were talking telepathically. "You know I can't hear you when you talk like that right?" Apollo and Hermes looked sheepish, while Hades and Artemis rolled their eyes. "We don't really know. The only way that you could live was if Zeus was tricked into killing someone else. But that is almost impossible. Only someone with a connection to the sea, or your essence could pass it off. Preferably both." Hermes admitted, looking downcast. However, Artemis seemed deep in thought before her eyes lit up. Partially in excitement, partially in fear.

"I have an idea. I don't like it, but it will keep you alive." She said, drawing the eyes of the other four that were deep in thought themselves.

"Do tell me. I like being alive. While I have nothing against the Underworld," I said, aiming it at Hades who shrugged in nonchalance, "I do want to live long enough to flip the fates off at least once."

Shaking her head at me, with a ghost of a smile on her face, she started explaining.

"First of all…."


	3. Chapter 3

**NO-ONE POV**

A week rolled by, one in which Camp Half-Blood noticed a slight difference in the actions of Perseus Jackson. Nothing majorly out of the norm. However, it had been reported that he frequently crept out at night, to sit by the canoe lake. Chiron had even asked Connor Stoll, the better at sneaking of the twins, to follow him one night, with a bribe of pulling any prank he wanted the next day with no consequences. Connor took up the deal no questions asked and did exactly that. He staked out the Poseidon cabin, and waited for the demigod to emerge.

It was at a quarter to twelve that he emerged, glancing around to determine whether there was anyone there. When he confirmed the coast was clear, he crept, not to the lake, but to the archery range. Connor had to swear on the Styx he was telling the truth, because no-one believed him when he said Perseus, the supposed worst archer in camp, managed to hit a bullseye consistently, and with the speed to rival a hunter. After an hour of continuous bullseyes, he set the weapon back where it came from, before turning to the canoe lake. He sat on the pier that floated on the surface of the water, and practiced his hydrokinesis. That in itself was not strange; it was how much effort it took. The demigod who was known to be able to summon a hurricane at will, and a ten foot wall of water with ease, struggled getting a tennis-balls' worth of water to levitate. It was this topic the head councillors and Chiron were discussing around the Ping-Pong table in the big house.

"How? How can he be struggling? How in the actual _fuck_ can he shoot a bullseye?" Clarisse asked.

"I would ask that you refrain from using such colourful language in here please." Chiron lectured. "But you have a point. I do recall that the first time he shot an arrow, it ended up in my tail."

"I don't understand why that's exactly bad. Don't get me wrong, getting an arrow in your tail is bound to be bad, but anyone can miss a target." Narissa, a daughter of Hecate voiced.

"I was fifty feet behind him." Chiron responded.

"Oh."

"Did you ever think that maybe, I got help, or that I didn't want you to know?" Came the voice of Percy. Everyone's head whipped around to the door, in which he stood, leaning against the frame. "Ever heard of privacy?" Everyone bowed their heads a little in shame, save Clarisse who just retorted "Well we're not the ones breaking the curfew now are we." Percy's eyes flashed, and afterwards a few people would have sworn that his eyes changed colour from sea green to a pale yellow. "No, but I also persuaded the harpies to leave me alone, and I don't exactly see Chiron giving me a lecture on following the rules now do I?"

Before anyone could respond, there was a flash of light signalling the arrival of a god, and everyone averted their eyes. When the light disappeared, they were met with the sight of Hermes. Everyone bowed except Percy, who said to the god "'Sup." The god smiled slightly before adopting a forlorn expression. He beckoned everyone to get up, and turned to the son of Poseidon. "I bear grave news Perseus, and it involves you. Zeus wants you on Olympus immediately." The boy sighed, before nodding his head and approaching the messenger god. They disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind a confused group of demigods, and Chiron who was .

 **Throne Room**

When they reappeared, Perseus was in chains, cuffed to the floor in front of the council. His eyes flashed. "What in the hell is this?" Of course, he knew what was going on, but had to pretend that he didn't. The gods who were against his death were also putting on a rather convincing facade of being sad to see him go. Zeus stood from his throne before bellowing "Perseus Jackson, the council has agreed that you are too powerful to live, and you are to die by my hand. I am in a good mood, so if anyone would like to say their goodbyes, now is the time." Poseidon, Apollo and Hades got off their thrones and approached him. They each shrunk down to their mortal height

Poseidon approached his son first, and laid his hand on his shoulder. "I… I wanted to say that I'm sorry, for not being there enough, and not being able to stop this. You have made me proud Perseus. I wish I could do more for you." A lone tear ran down his face, and Percy smiled a sad smile at his father before he turned and walked slowly back to his throne.

Next was Apollo, who wiped the usually carefree look from his face, and looked on in pity. "I may not have been the best person out there, but I will miss you. You were like the brother I never had. I thank you for the opportunity for being your friend." He inclined his head to the demigod, a sign of huge respect from an Olympian to a mortal. He to returned to his throne, before the Lord of the Dead approached him.

"While most of the council forget, I will remember the service you have done to both Olympus and myself. It is for this that you, and any family or friends that die anytime soon, will be sent to Elysium without question. May your afterlife be joyous."

Hermes was the last god, who had yet to move from his original position behind him. He walked in front of him, and without anyone seeing, slipped something into the boys' hand. "I too, shall remember the services you have done for Olympus, and my son Luke. I will remember the good times we had, and do so until I fade. It has been a pleasure Perseus." He to turned to his throne, before growing to his godly height and seating himself in it. Percy's eyes caught those of the goddess Artemis, who gave a small nod in thanks.

Looking around to see if anyone else had something to say, Zeus stood from his throne. "It is with this that I sentence you to die, Perseus." With that, he threw his master bolt at the boy. When it hit him, there was a flash of light so bright everyone had to avert their eyes. When they turned back, all that was there was a celestial bronze chain. Turning to his brother, Zeus ordered "Hades, would you check to see that Perseus has reached the underworld." Hades nodded once, before flashing out. Within a minute he returned and nodded again. With a smug smirk on his ugly mug, Zeus dismissed the council before flashing out in a bolt of lightning. Everyone who agreed for Percy to die followed suit, while Poseidon left as well, trying hard not to break down in tears. As soon as they left, Hermes reached over and grabbed Artemis' arm, and the group flashed to Hestias' palace. When they arrived, they saw sprawled on one of the couches… Artemis. And she seemed to be in pain, holding her side and seemingly trying not to scream.

Apollo ran to his sisters' side, and put his hand on her ribs, before muttering an incantation. Gold light fled from his hand to her flesh, and healed some of the damage that the rest of the group couldn't see. Turning to the Artemis that came with Hermes, he said "Drop the disguise." She nodded, and she seemed to melt like a candle, but staying in the rough shape of a person. When 'she' reformed, there stood not Artemis, but Perseus Jackson.

He rushed to her side, and asked "What happened."

She grit her teeth, and said in a voice that was laced with pain, but trying not to show it, "I was too slow. I got hit. I picked the lock fine, but when I had to disappear, I was a fraction of a second too slow." He nervously looked in her eyes, asking a silent question. She nodded, almost imperceptibly. He reached out and removed her hand from her side, where he was met with a terrible sight. She gasped in pain when her wound was further exposed to the air, and he could see flesh was burned away, leaving a charred hole in her. A rib was visible, poking through what little tissue was left. Looking to the god of medicine, he asked "What can we do?" Apollo looked extremely worried for his sister, as any brother would. "I… I don't know. Nothing I have can fix a wound like this. Any mortal with this kind of wound will die, and immortals will heal, albeit slowly. Ambrosia and nectar will do next to nothing on such a wound." As he looked on at the goddess, it reminded him of the last moments of Zöe Nightshade. emWait a minute…/em An idea formed in the son of Poseidons' head. "Would an apple of immortality help? The ones guarded by Ladon?" Apollo seemed to ponder this, and nodded slowly. "I wouldn't heal the wound itself, but I would significantly increase the healing rate." Percy turned to Hermes. "Could you sneak past the dragon and get some apples?" He nodded instantly. Looking at his half brother, he questioned "How many do you think she needs?" Gaining a look of concentration, Apollo thought hard. The cry of his sister made him hurry and kneel at her side.

She was trying not to cry, but failing. Pleadingly she looked at her brother, who quickly turned to Hermes and said "Get five. Any more and Hera will notice." He nodded and disappeared in a flash of light. Apollo set his sights back on his sister, who was shaking with such ferocity the couch was moving ever so slightly. Tears where streaming down her face, and Apollo tried to calm her with soothing words, but it was in vain. After about ten seconds, she became still, and Apollo panicked. "Artemis?" He asked, shaking her shoulder slightly. "ARTEMIS?!" He screamed. He went to shake her again, but his hand was knocked aside by his sister, who began thrashing, before arching her back and letting out a high pitched scream, so loud they all had to cover their ears. Thankfully, Hermes arrived just after she stopped and handed the five apples to Apollo. He flicked his wrist, and a cup and a juicer appeared on the floor in front of Artemis. As quickly as he could, he threw all five apples of the hesperides into the juicer, before removing the cup attached and bringing it to his sisters' lips. She continued to shake, and Apollo cursed. "Hermes, Persus, hold her down!" Hermes quickly grabbed her legs, praying to the fates she wouldn't kill him for it later, whilst Perseus grabbed her wrists and pinned them on the armrest of the couch. Apollo pinched her nose and tipped the golden liquid down her throat, forcing her to swallow it. As soon as she had, she relaxed, and sighed, before blacking out. Percy and Hermes both let go of the goddess, while Apollo set his hand back on his sisters' side. Another set joined him, and he looked up to see his Aunt Hestia. Perseus saw what they were going to do and summoned some water from the taps in a nearby room, willing it to float next to him.

He stuck one hand in, and held Artemis's with the other. Water began flowing across his body and down hers to her wound, where Apollo and Hestia also poured in their efforts to heal her. With three powerful beings putting all of their effort into healing her, her side began mending, slowly but surely. They kept at it for five exhausting minutes, before her wound was sealed, leaving only a large scar. When the flesh had melded back together, all three of them collapsed in exhaustion, and Percy willed the water to return to the room it had come from, before releasing his hold on it. The three of them lay there panting, before Percy got up and trudged to the nearest couch and muttered "With great power…comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up in two hours, or when she wakes up, whichever comes first." Before flopping on the couch and passing out instantly. Hermes and Hades let out a small chuckle, while Apollo brushed his sisters' hair from her face

"You're going to be alright sister. You are going to be alright." He uttered, before he too passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Artemis POV**

I had never felt so much pain in my entire immortal existence. The plan had gone well to begin with, but I left leaving too late. The plan was for me to fill in for Perseus for the week so that Hermes could pick me up and take me to the throne room, as there couldn't be any time in between, or else father would get suspicious. Hermes pressed a lockpick into my hand, and I undid the lock. I never understood why there was a lock on it to begin with, as we could have just summoned a chain that had no lock, was just a loop. Anyway, I was then to pick the lock and flash into Hestia's palace, _without_ getting hit by the master bolt. Everything went well until the final step. Getting hit by that bolt was pure agony. See, the master bolt has ten… settings, I guess, for electrical discharge. One being like getting zapped by static, ten being… well, I can't even describe it. It is the setting that he fought Kronos and Typhon. The highest setting can't be used around mortals, as the power it exerts would vaporise any mortal within a hundred metres. As a general rule, Zeus uses it at a level four or five. I would say I got hit with a six or seven. _I guess he wanted to make sure Perseus died._ I remember everything until Perseus and Hermes pinned me down. Ordinarily, I would have killed them for that. Okay, maybe not, but I would have put an arrow somewhere they don't want them. Particularly Hermes, as he was holding my legs. Yes i know they helped heal me immensely, which is why I won't castrate them. But everything after that is just blank.

I started to come to, and felt a cool, wet object on my forehead, along with a hand pushing my hair out of the way. Opening my eyes, I hissed at the bright light, and the hand extracted itself. "Hey, hey, easy." I was still groggy, so I actually couldn't tell who the voice belonged to. I opened my eyes again, _slowly_ , and saw the face of Perseus hovering over me, with his signature smirk in place. He patted me on the cheek and said "Welcome back to the land of the living princess." I glared at him halfheartedly, and batted his hand away lazily. I tried to sit up, but hissed in pain. Immediately, his hand gripped my shoulder. "Hey, hey. You may be an immortal goddess, but you are still injured. Lay down. You need to move your torso as little as possible." He gently, but forcibly pushed me back onto my back. I gave in, not that I had much fight in me, and laid back down. He reached for the face washer on my forehead and removed it, throwing it across the room and into a sink in the adjacent bathroom. Looking around, I noticed that I wasn't in the living room where I had blacked out in.

I was in a bedroom, in a four-poster bed that looked like it was made of mahogany. White lacy curtains hung from the beams connecting the four corners, making me a little jealous, as my bed was practically a standard single bed that you would give to a ten year old. The sheets I was draped in were a pale blue silk… as was the nightclothes I was wearing.

"I really hope it was Hestia who changed my clothes, or else whoever did is in for a world of hurt." Smiling a little, he nodded. "Yeah, nobody else was stupid enough to even try. Even your brother isn't that stupid." I chuckled a little, but stopped when my side throbbed. Gritting my teeth, I asked "How long was I out?"

"A day." I nodded slowly, but then I realised what he said. "A DAY!?" He winced and pressed his fingers in his ears, before removing them and responding. "Yes a day. And before you freak out about the Hunt, Hermes travelled there and informed them something important came up, and that you were too busy to come personally." I raised my eyebrow at that. "And they just bought it?" Shrugging, he said, "Yeah, well, swearing on the Styx that he was telling the truth helped them believe." I blinked quickly a couple of times in surprise, to which he rolled his eyes at me. "Something important? Check, injured goddess. Too busy? Check, unconscious. So it checks out. And he actually could break an oath on the Styx anyway, if he wanted to. All of you on the council could. Lady Styx actually cant enforce any punishment on you directly, but she could on your next child. Except Apollo that is. I suppose being the god of truth he would _have_ to keep his word. Speaking of whom, I should go and get him. I will be right back." He stood up and disappeared through a nearby doorway. He would probably be a while, as it was almost impossible to wake my brother up, _especially_ after healing someone with such an injury as mine.

I groaned and let my head fall back onto the pillow, wincing slightly at the sudden stab of pain that shot through me. I sat there for several minutes, bored out of my brains. Out of curiosity, I lifted my head back up slightly and pulled my shirt up to see where I was hit. There was a faint scar, but it was large and covered a good chunk of my abdomen. Oh well. It's not exactly like anyone saw that part of me anyway. Well, there was that one guy, but I turned him into a shrew. I smiled at the memory, and in doing so, I didn't notice Percy walking into the room.

 **Percy POV**

"Wake up dumbass!" I yelled at the god of medicine. Was he always like this? I didn't even know gods slept to be honest. "Your sister is awake!" Nothing. Zilch. I pinched my nose and sighed. This guy can apparently sleep like a log. No, a log would be a part of a tree, which usually has a spirit attached to it. This guy looks dead. I tried a different, more dangerous approach. "So I slept with your sister, and I _may_ have gotten her pregnant." What the hell? "You won't wake him up." A voice said behind me. I jumped, and turned around in annoyance, seeing Hermes with a smirk in place. "Also, be grateful that he didn't hear that, as he would either kill you or love you. There would be no in-between. So, unless you actually do plan on getting her pregnant and telling him, don't say things like that around him." I blushed hard, realising what he said was true. He gained a mischievous smirk, the one all his kids are known for, before continuing with "Even then, no matter how much you want to sleep with her, I would wait quite a whiles before even contemplating _that_." I didn't know it was possible, but I felt my cheeks get even hotter. "I do not want to sleep with her" I responded indignantly.

"So you've never thought of bedding her? Ever? I call bull."

"I haven't!" I exclaimed. "oh, wait…" I said, thinking back to the time when I interrupted their meeting. But that wasn't my fault! He grinned in victory. "See?" The grin faded, and he continued. "Seriously though, I do think that if she was to get laid in the next century, you are the most likely candidate. Oh, don't look at me like that. You are." I rolled my eyes, and he waved back to the room that Artemis was in. "I think you should go back in there. He," he said, gesturing at Apollo, "wont wake up for a fair while." I nodded, before walking back to the door. I stopped, and turned back to the god. "Also, Hermes?" He looked up from the clipboard he had conjured, and raised an eyebrow. "Fuck you" He blinked, before realising I was talking in good fun. Unfortunately, he turned it against me. "Nah, I'm right. There is, however, a good looking babe in there," he said gesturing to the room behind me. "Fuck her instead." I was left spluttering, before turning and entering the room, shutting the door behind me. I sighed, before turning back to the woman on the bed. "Sorry, but it seems that Apollo…" I said, before my eyes noticed what was in front of me. Because on the bed, was Artemis, with her shirt up to her chest, revealing her abdomen… and breasts. They were larger than they seemed under her hunters uniform, at least a C or D. I stood transfixed, before she noticed me and pulled her shirt down, both of us red as a beetroot. I looked away, which was kind of stupid, as she was covered now, before glancing back at her.

I started with what I concluded was safe. "I'm sorry? Please don't kill me"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N. I am so sorry for not updating in so long. I had little time to write, and when I did have time to do so i usually did something else. I have put myself to the task of writing between 400 and 800 words a day, (across two stories) and while i may not be able to do that every day, i do plan to do so as oft as i can. I will hopefully be updating fortnightly from here on out, but no promises. Anyway, here's chapter 5.**

 **Percy POV**

Dead. I am so dead. I have survived two wars, thousands of monsters, even Tartarus, but I think this time I may actually die. So I was surprised when I noticed that Artemis had gone red, not from anger, but embarrassment. She looked away, not meeting my eye, before taking a deep breath. I unconsciously looked at her chest, before mentally slapping myself. Thankfully she didn't notice, but she did quickly glance at me. She didn't look at my face though, but she did look away again, even more red. She managed to get herself under control, then turned to face me, looking directly in my eyes.

"I am not going to throw away all the work we did to keep you alive Perseus. But know this. Next time, I will not hesitate to injure you. You are lucky that I am not strong enough to actually hurt you right now." She said, glaring at me all the while. I was still stuck on her words to notice. _Next time?_ Half of me, the hormonal teenage boy part, couldn't wait for that day. The more reasonable half, wanted to slap myself and say _She doesn't mean there will be a next time. She means that_ if _it happens again, not_ when. Unfortunately, she could see part of my mind working, but only one. "Stop thinking about it!" She snapped, glaring at me. Widening my eyes in indignation, I responded "I'm not! I swear I'm not!" She scoffed at me. "Oh yeah? Well _that_ , says otherwise." She said, gesturing at me, her face colouring somewhat as she did so. I cocked my head in confusion, before I noticed she gestured at my lower regions. My eyes wide in horror I glanced down, noticing the bulge in my pants. I went red, and tried to stutter out a response, before giving up and bolting out of the door, slamming it behind me. I leant against it, before sighing and sliding to the floor. _This woman is going to be the death of me. Fucking hormones._ "I need a shower." I said to myself. I looked to my predicament, and continued, "A very cold one."

 **Artemis POV**

I didn't know whether to be embarrassed, amused or both. I don't know why, but for some reason I could not feel angry at him. To be perfectly honest, I kind of wanted to know what he thought, though I had a pretty good idea, considering the… physical effect I caused him.

 _Why do you care what he thinks of you? You've never cared for anothers opinion before._ I really didn't know the answer to that, and wasn't sure I wanted to. Groaning with indignation, I let my head fall back upon the pillow. I rubbed my temples, as if doing so would dispel the headache that was beginning to form. I decided to try and get to sleep again, or at least the godly equivalent. Rolling onto my side, I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep. _Tried_ being the keyword. I lay there for what felt like hours, tossing to and fro trying to slip into the realm of Morpheus, but I just couldn't do it. Sighing, I checked my body clock, and once I had, I turned over and let out a muffled scream into my pillow. It had been two minutes. _I wonder if I can fade from boredom?_

I did eventually manage to get to sleep, and for long enough that when I woke, Apollo was standing in the corner of the room, a phone in his hand and earbuds in. I tried to hear what he was listening to. Straining my ears, I managed to hear _Jumped in a cab here I am for the first time, I look to my right and see the Hollywood sign._ Oh my fucking gods. I knew my brother had bad taste, but seriously? Miley Cyrus? He _needs_ someone to teach him what good music sounds like. At that exact moment, he looked up and caught my eye. Smiling at me, he removed his earbuds and walked to my bedside. Before he could say anything, I beat him to the punch.

"First of all, I'm feeling fine. Secondly, you need better music." He looked taken aback at the statement, before looking at me with a look that says _really?_ He opened his mouth, and awaited what I assumed would be a haiku. It didn't come. Instead what he said was "I should hope you're fine. In fact, you should be fully healed. And as for my music tastes, I am the god of music for a reason. I know what is good and what is not." _You're also the god of poetry, but you aren't any good at that either._ "Disregarding my _excellent_ taste in music, I think you should get out of bed. You have a Hunt that will begin wondering where you are right about now. Also, you may want to give Perce that necklace back. For some reason I cant see that working over well with your girls." I reached up to the necklace around my neck that I had completely forgotten about until now. The necklace that held some of Perseus' essence, so that I could have passed as him in the throne room. Yeah… that wouldn't go over well to walk into camp with a new necklace. And because it contains a beings' essence, it cant just be dematerialised. I'll have to give it back. Shame; its a nice necklace.

Sighing, I righted myself, before swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I pushed myself into a standing position and stretched my arms above my head, hearing a few satisfying _pop_ 's, and then flashed on my hunters attire. I took a step forward, only to almost tip over from what I assume was under-use of my legs. I didn't hit the floor though, as my brother caught me. Wanting to keep a hold of what little pride I had left, I snapped at him. "I'm fine." He raised his eyebrow, before releasing me. I stood up straight, and took another step towards the door, this time without much except for a small limp due to the pins and needles that chose right then to appear. _Fuckers._ Walking to the door, I opened it into Hestia's living area.

Perseus, Hades and Hermes were sitting around a coffee table, each with a pair of cards in their hands. I could see a bunch of chips on the table, and realised they are the ones we use when gambling, as we like to bet high. Five thousand drachmae don't exactly fit well on a table. I'm _still_ pissed I lost that hand to Hermes. Hestia was seated next to Perseus, though not playing. I looked and saw a 9, Jack and 2 of hearts on the table. None of them seemed to see me as of yet, so I decided to watch for the time being.

Hades had a nearly perfect poker face. Nearly being the operative word. His mouth twitched, indicating he had a reasonable hand. I looked at Hermes, who had a very serious look on his face, one only seen when he gambles. But his eyes twinkled, indicating that he had a good hand as well. Perseus on the other hand, had a completely blank face, the same one that most of us have when Athena drones on. I could see nothing to give him away. He pushed into the centre three chips worth a hundred drachmae each. My eyes widened in surprise. Surely he didn't have that much? Hades and Hermes matched him, before Aunt Hestia reached forward, flipping over the next card, revealing a 6 of spades. Perseus tapped on the table twice, which Hades and Hermes copied. Again, Hestia reached forward, flipping over the final card, revealing a 7 of clubs. I could see Hermes seriousness sour. Perseus pushed in five hundred worth in drachmae. Hades looked into his eyes, before doing the same. Hermes sighed, before putting his cards on the table face down and pushing towards the middle. He folded. Perseus and Hades revealed their cards, showing a 6 and a 3 of hearts in Perseus' hand, and a 9 of clubs and a Jack of diamonds in Hades. Perseus' facade disappeared, with him pumping the air with a fist and a smile on his face; he had won the hand. Bringing the pot in to him, he said, "So Hermes, what did you have?"

Sighing, Hermes responded dejectedly, "A ten and a King. I was waiting on a Queen."

"He still would have beaten you Hermes." I said, causing the three boys to jump. "A flush beats a straight." Hestia seemed completely unfazed by my appearance, and smiled at me. I couldn't help but return the gesture.

"Yeah, but… oh never mind. Maybe you should play him; he seems to have taken your spot as best poker player." I snorted and shook my head.

"I think not. I'm happy enough to see you get your ass kicked, I don't want to get my name added to that list today. Maybe some other time." Letting out a sigh, Perseus looked around the house with a wistful expression. "I guess it's time to go, isn't it?" Everyone looked at him with pity, and Hermes patted him on the shoulder. Letting out a small smile, he said "Well, at least I know I've got eleven hundred drachmae, so there's that." I let out a small chuckle. He looked to me, causing butterflies in my stomach for some reason. "I do believe that that necklace is mine." I stared at him in confusion, before realising; the necklace that I'm wearing, the one that holds his essence. I reached up and unclasped it from around my neck, and pooled it into his awaiting hand. I saw Hermes smirk, and prepared myself for the assault of words that he was about to unleash.

"Indian giver." He said. Perseus' eyes narrowed in confusion, before turning to look at the god. Still with that _infuriating_ smirk in place, he pointed at the necklace in Percy's hand. "You cannot give a girl jewellery and then take it back a week later. Didn't your mother teach you manners?" I narrowed my eyes in anger at what he was implying, and glared at the prick, but before I could rip him a new one, Perseus said "Fuck you Hermes."

My head whipped to the man, staring dumbfounded. Yes, they may be friends, but I didn't expect that to fall out of his mouth. Rather than seeming taken aback, Hermes' smirk deepened, and Perseus seemed to understand what he was about to say, for he cringed, and mouthed at me _sorry._ I didn't understand for a moment. Until Hermes spoke. "Nah, id rather you didn't. I do however, recall her offering you the same treatment." He said, waving flippantly at me. My fury mounted, but before I could shoot him in his sensitive spot, Hades burst into laughter.

This stopped me because I can recall twice when he has laughed, once being when some of the throne room was unstable, and a piece fell on fathers head during a winter solstice meeting. The other was when Hermes and Apollo, with the help of Aphrodite, _caked_ fathers' face in makeup, without him noticing. He went into another meeting with that. He couldn't figure out why everyone was laughing. But when he eventually did, _ooooh,_ those two got an ass whooping. Aphrodite should've as well, but she just ripped off her shirt, and the problem magically disappeared. Bitch.

Shaking his head, Perseus said goodbye to us, before turning to Hermes, and nodded. Hermes placed his hand on Perseus' shoulder, before flashing the son of Poseidon who knows where. Sighing, I said farewell to Hestia, and flashed to my Hunters camp.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N. I am aware i said i would possibly be updating fortnightly, and i apologise for not sticking to that. I know how irritating it can be to wait weeks for an update to a story that you like, but unfortunately, i cannot spend lots of time on my writings. But i appreciate you waiting, and for that, here is Chapter 6**

* * *

 **Artemis POV**

I appeared in a clearing to see a dozen and a half arrows pointed at me. Once my hunters realised who it was they were aiming at, they let their bows go slack and apologised. Holding up my hand to silence them, I said "Do not apologise for having quick reflexes. If it had been someone or something planning an attack, they would not have lived to carry it out." Thalia stepped forward, and asked what everyone else was thinking.

"Where have you been for the last two days?" At this I hesitated. But eventually, I realised that I couldn't lie to her. Not entirely anyway. "I think the rest of you should go." Phoebe, one of the most outspoken of my hunters, stepped forward, eyes flashing. "Why do we not deserve to know?" Sighing, I explained, "It's not that you don't deserve to, its that you probably don't care." She scoffed. "I believe I can be the judge of that."

Sighing in exasperation, I muttered "Fine." Turning back to Thalia, I braced myself for the shitfight she was about to release. "I, and a few others, were consoling Uncle Poseidon after… after Zeus had Perseus killed."

Dead silence.

"I'm sorry, what?" Thalia's voice had lowered to nearly a whisper, and the wind began to pick up. "You're telling me, that my, no, _our_ father, killed my best friend? My brother? And he expects people to be fine with this?!" She said, each word rising in volume, until she was shouting at the sky. Thunder boomed overhead. Thalia just glared into the sky, before screaming "GO TO TARTARUS!", flipping the sky, (and by default, father) off, and storming off into the forest, sparks crackling along her skin with such ferocity that there were blackened footprints left behind on the forest floor.

One of my newest hunters, Gwen, asked, "Should we follow her?" Immediately, Phoebe shook her head. "You don't want to follow her. In fact, whenever she's in a state like that, find out what way she's going and go the opposite. In this case, we are going this way." She said, before pointing in the direction of camp. The rest of my hunters nodded, before making their way back to the camp. I hoped Thalia wouldn't kill anyone.

 **~~~~Time Skip - 8 months~~~~**

Thalia did not kill anyone that day; at least, not to my knowledge. However, she didn't get better either, as she did lose her closest friend. I decided she needed to let her anger out, so I called the son of Hades, who was surprised beyond belief. He'd sobered up once I told him what happened. He came and picked Thalia up, and apparently they disappeared into the fields of punishment for a day. When she returned, she wasn't as angry, but just as upset. That was eight months ago. To this day, she still mopes around. It kills me to have to lie to her, but I must. And that brings us to the present moment; hunting. A small pack of hellhounds, maybe a half dozen, were headed east, and had made the mistake of barging through the camp. At that point their numbers had been about twice if not thrice their current number. That changed in about 20 seconds. They fled, so we had to hunt them down. Hellhounds are probably the easiest monsters to hunt, with the easiest being Cyclopses, due to them both being large and unable to be quiet, and they leave a very clear path to follow.

We ran after the hounds, before coming to a momentary stop when one of them let out a yelp of pain. I looked at my lieutenant, who looked back at me with confusion, before we continued on for another hundred metres or so, when we came to a clearing. The clearing had a few piles of monster dust, with two hellhounds circling a girl.

The girl was obviously a daughter of Hermes, with the sand blonde hair, and even had the distinguishable smirk that I've grown to hate. But thats not to say I had an instant disliking of her; in fact, quite the opposite. I could tell that this girl would be troublemaker, but would also make a good addition to my hunt. But what really stood out about her was the weapon she was wielding; a large, double bladed war axe, blades in the shape of an omega. One I recognised as belonging to the Minotaur. Before I could fully comprehend the circumstances, one of the hellhounds lunged at the girl, before she swung the axe much faster than a girl of her size and build should be able to, cleaving the creature in half, turning it into dust. She turned to her final opponent, but before either of them could move, I had loosed an arrow at the hound. When it connected, it let out a yelp, causing it to disintegrate, and the girl to grip her axe tighter, turning to face us.

She slightly reduced her grip on the handle, before a flash of panic crossed her face, causing her to tighten on the grip, as though she shouldn't have been relaxed and then realised she was. Her behaviour confused me, so I approached somewhat carefully.

"Hello" I said. She took a nervous step back, before I signalled to my hunters to sheath their weapons. They did so, and I looked back to the girl. "We're not going to hurt you"

She scoffed. "Yeah, I've heard that one before. Try again." Her tone took me aback for a moment, as I never had that tone aimed at me. I could see out of the corner of my eye my hunters freeze in shock, and I couldn't help but crack up laughing. The girl blinked a few times in confusion, as did a few of my hunters. I slowly stopped laughing, and waved off the confusion directed at me from the hunt. "Alright, let me ask two questions." She raised an eyebrow, but rolled her hand in a _continue_ motion. "What's your name?"

She had a momentary lapse in her confident facade, and a look of panic crossed her face. "Uhh, Zoe." She replied, almost cringing when she said it. Something I didn't understand. "And your last name?" "Jackson" she replied almost immediately.

"Jackson?" I thought out loud. Her confidence seemed to reemerge at that point, as she got an annoyed look and said "I swear to god, if you ask me if I'm related to either Michael or Perseus Jackson, whoever the fuck that is, I will throw this at you." Holding up the axe in her right hand, she glared at me. Thalia and I caught the name _Perseus_ , but it was Thalia who spoke first.

"You know Percy Jackson?" Zoe looked very irritated, and said "No you imbecile. I just said that." Thalia's moment of hope was crushed by that, but then she glared at Zoe. "First of all, I am not an imbecile. Secondly, if you don't know him, how do you know his name?" Zoe looked uninterested, but replied "Every bloody monster I've encountered knew my name, and thought I was this guys sister. Which is stupid, because I don't have a brother."

I scoffed. "I know for a fact that isn't true. You have about a dozen brothers that I know of."

Zoe looked at me as if I was crazy. "I'm fairly sure I know my own family tree." Realising I was going nowhere, I instead asked "That axe, where did you get it?" She looked confused, before looking down at the war axe in her hand. "Oh, some bull headed monster. I don't know what he was."

"The Minotaur?" Phoebe asked, shock written on her face.

Zoe looked to the new voice and said, "Isn't that from greek mythology? Im fairly sure what I fought was not a myth."

I hated this regime of having to explain that greek mythology was true. It got real irritating real fast. But I prepared myself anyway. "You're right." I said. "That was not a myth. But what you fought, and killed, was the Minotaur. Because greek mythology is not actually mythology, but true. Every part of it." Zoe raised an eyebrow, before bursting into laughter. My ire grew, but before I could do or say anything, she managed to get a hold of herself, and waved her finger, pointing at the group in its entirety. "And you all believe this?" Many of the hunters were getting irritated with this girl, but nodded anyway. Shaking her head, Zoe let out a few chuckles, and said "Then you're all crazy. Next you'll be telling me the gods are real. Ha!" My ire had reached its peak, and I turned to Thalia, saying "Take the rest back to the camp. I'll get her to see the truth." Nodding and then indicating to the rest of the girls to head out, they disappeared back into the forest.

After a few moments, I heard "Are they gone?" Turning back to Zoe, I glared at her. No-one insults myself and my family and gets away with it. Instead of flinching when she saw my face though, she laughed, which caught me by surprise.

Shaking her head she said, "Oh, that was too good, don't you think Artemis."

I was taken aback at her knowledge of my name, despite it never being said. I stared at her for a moment, before it all clicked. That smirk, knowing my name, _Zöe._ Surely it couldn't be… "Perseus?" I asked.

That grin split her face. Bringing a finger to her lip in a _shhh_ motion, she said, "Not anymore. As you can see, I've had a few changes."

I stared shell shocked at the girl before me, before I stormed over to him and gave him a punch in the shoulder. "Owww." She said, rubbing her shoulder. "That was for that stunt you pulled." I grabbed his forearm and dragged him in the opposite direction of which the Hunt went in.

"You have some explaining to do, Jackson."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, I know I said I would be writing a lot more, but I just couldn't bring myself to. I was so unmotivated. But I also knew that i had to keep writing. Thankfully, i have a lot more time on my hands, so will _hopefully_ be able to spend more time writing. Because i havent uploaded in a long time, i think that it is fair that you get a chapter that is a LOT longer than normal.**

 **Chapter 7**

 **Artemis POV**

Dragging the boy-turned-girl into the forest, I tried to make sense of the situation. Granted, it was genius, as if Zeus found out that Perseus was still alive, the last thing he'd look for is a girl. But I needed an entire explanation, so when I found a patch of grass that didn't look like it would feel as though I was sitting on the most uneven seat on the planet, I went to sit down, dragging Perseus/Zöe with me. It was at this point that I realised that my grip had loosened on his arm, so my hand had traveled until I was holding his hand, which somehow went unnoticed up until this point. I let go as soon as Perseus started to lower to the ground.

Sitting cross-legged, I glared at him, still a little mad at the show he put on, and started asking my questions.

"Ok, first of all, how did…" I asked, before gesturing to him/her " _this_ , happen?"

Perseus had the nerve to look amused, before looking a little downcast, but answered nonetheless. "I was tracking a monster in Maine that had killed a group of small children for lunch. I followed it for about… 100 miles? 110? I don't know, I don't care. Anyway, I followed it to a womens club, and of course I got turned away. I of course needed to get in to kill the monster, to stop it from killing more, but I didn't know how."

This I was conflicted about. He probably shouldn't have gone into a girls only club, but even if he did, he could've just manipulated the mist, surely? I voiced as much, and he shook his head.

"I can control water well. The Mist? Not so much, especially on so many people at once. So I prayed to Hermes, because I thought that of anyone I know, he would have a workaround for the problem, and told him the situation. He said he could… what was the phrase? Gender-bend me? Meh, it doesn't matter. Point is, he had me turned into a woman, and also blessed me in the process. So, one could technically say that I am an adopted daughter of Hermes. After that I went in, killed the monster, and got the hell out of dodge. I decided to keep the form, as I found it was a lot easier to do quite a lot in the mortal world."

"Such as?" I asked intrigued.

"Such as getting meals from clubs, people willingly giving me money, getting information. Stuff like that."

I stared at him, mildly irritated. "So you mean to tell me you flaunted your body in order to get things?"

"Yes and no. Yes, being a woman did help in that regard, but I didn't really need to do anything to get results. There was, admittedly, a time or two when I did, but for the most part I did nothing of the sort."

Realising I would only get more irritated by this line of questioning, I changed topics. "That axe; did you really get it from the Minotaur? Also, where did it go?" At his groan and nod, I laughed. "How many times does that make it?"

"Three. And it is on my hand" He replied. _She_ replied. Oh, this was confusing. Fuck it, he wants to be a girl, I'll treat him as one. She. She twisted a golden ring on her hand, and lo and behold, the two handed axe appeared in her hands, before she spun it and it disappeared again. We lapsed into silence as I tried to pick something else to ask, and she started playing with a blade of grass.

"How are the Hunters? And camp?" She asked suddenly. I was taken aback for a split second, then realised why she'd ask. Of emcourse/em she wanted to know about the campers; many where her friends. And she wasn't really asking about the Hunt, per se, but Thalia.

"Thalia…" I started, before chewing my lip. "Thalia hasn't been the same. She is more easily angered. Even I knew she had a short fuse, but now it's practically non-existent. I once read her mind to try and get an understanding, and…" I said, before trailing off.

After a few moments of silence, Perseus… _Fuck. Zöe. Got to call her that. Can't have that slip up._ Zoe rolled her hand in a continue motion. "And…?" She probed.

"And… she thought that maybe the Castellan boy was right." Her jaw dropped, but I continued before she could say anything. "I said the boy, not Kronos. There is a difference."

"How?" Was all she said in response.

I sighed. "Kronos wanted the gods killed, straight and simple. Gone from the planet. The boy just wanted a change in leadership, and frankly… I can't blame him." Zoe stared and blinked at me as though I'd grown a second head, not saying a word. "The only reason anything ever gets done in the council is because of Aunt Hestia, and on the rare occasion my sister. I would like to say I contribute, but I know that I do little as well, as I'm usually fighting or listening to music. And I'm really on the council because Zeus is my father, not because my domain means anything. So while I do like my role as a major goddess, I do see that things need to change. You are a prime example. We can't just kill mortals because we want to. They will turn against us."

"Speaking of which…" I said, glancing at Zoe. She had seemed to be digesting what I had said, and had just donned a face of understanding, before my words piqued her curiosity. "You asked about the camp? They have turned their backs on the gods. At least the ones that voted in favour of killing you. Dionysus has also been removed from the camp, and Chiron has taken his role."

"What role? Old sot who likes leopard print clothing and could probably cut his weight in half and still get someones phone number?" At once her face distorted in disgust. "Oh, I am never getting that image out of my head." I let out a chuckle at that. "At least something good came from me being 'killed'. They don't have to deal with that ass-wipe anymore."

"No, but they have had some… backlash from the decision." I said tentatively.

"Such as?"

"A few of the campers were sent to the medical wing after they got in a fight with a god, usually their parent, though thank the Fates no-one has died." Her eyes widened in horror, and before she could ask me who, I said "Clarisse La Rue was let in after she got in a fight with her father, as did her boyfriend, though I don't know his name." She winced. "Chris Rodriguez" She froze after a moment, and asked shockedly, "wait, Clarisse got in a fight with her father… about me?"

I sighed, and nodded. She looked like he was struggling to get her head around that fact, so I decided to change the subject and asked. "What are you going to do now?"/

She looked at me confusedly, before her eyes brightened in understanding. "Oh, I was actually on my way back to camp. The mortal world is boring, and the few times I find something not so, its normally horrible. Like the children for lunch. I didn't want to have to deal with that, so I thought to rejoin the camp, and start over."

I chewed my lip, and offered tentatively, "You know, if you wanted to, you could join the Hunt?" She started in surprise, before a look of consideration came upon her face. After a couple of seconds she smiled sadly and shook her head in the negative. "Thank you for the offer, but I think it would be best if not, at least for now." I don't know why I felt disappointed about this, but I tried to ignore it. "Don't get me wrong," she continued. "It is tempting, but on the off chance it gets out that I am not who I say I am, I think I am more likely to live if I'm not in the midst of a platoon of misandrists. I will consider it, and might in the future, but for now, I will go with camp." I nodded in understanding. "Very well. In that case, we can take you." When she started to object, I raised my hand, silencing her, and continued "I cannot allow what my hunters perceive as a newly discovered demigod to just waltz across the country. Plus, an unaccompanied demigod will rarely find the camp alone. Do you even know which way the camp is?"

Immediately she formed her fingers into a gun and pointed in a direction that I knew as west-south-west. I raised my eyebrow, before grabbing her hand, and dragging it 140° anticlockwise, so that her finger-gun pointed in the correct direction. ( **A/N** For those that don't understand, on a clock, from the 8 to the 4) _Hmmm, I can think of something I'd like those fingers to do._ I almost choked when that thought crossed my mind, my face colouring in embarrassment. The Fates must have been smiling on me for once, because Zoe was more focused on the fact she was completely off on her sense of direction. Trying to cool my face, and keep my voice level while pushing that thought back to wherever it came from, I said. "M-My point exactly. Besides, we haven't been to the camp in a while. This will give us… uh, give us an excuse." I thanked the fates that Zoe nodded, oblivious to anything being amiss.

Looking up to me again, she asked, "Is there anything else you would like to know?". I thought about it, but nothing came to mind, so I shook my head. "Alright then." She said, getting to her feet. She put out her hand to me, and I took it, letting her haul me to my feet. "Lets go then, shall we?"

I led her back to the Hunters, who had already set up camp. A few of them looked at Zoe in slight distaste, most of whom, like myself, were sick of demigods who knew nothing of our world. Zoe and I ignored them, and so that no-one would overhear, I said to Zoe in her mind _I'm going to have you bunk with Thalia tonight. Is that okay?_ Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her chew her lip, before nodding slowly. As we approached the centre of camp, I saw Thalia talking to Phoebe, before she noticed me and excused herself, making her way over to us. "Milady." She acknowledged. I raised my eyebrow, and asked "What was that about?"

"Phoebe found an old hunting trap, one of those holes with spikes in them, while on a scout. She's gone to remove any spikes from it, just in case, but came to tell me." She responded, straight up ignoring Zoe. But of course, she didn't care.

Zoe raised her hand, forcing Thalia to acknowledge her presence, and asked, "Yeah, can I ask where it is? Cause I know my luck, and want to avoid anything that is going to try and kill me."

Thalia looked at her and raised an eyebrow, before answering and pointing off into the forest. "Its about a hundred and fifty feet that way." Zoe nodded slowly, before she noticed Thalia rake her eyes up and down her, and asked "Do you normally eye up the girls that come into the camp?" Thalia started, eyes wide and face a little flushed, before shaking her head and stuttering out. "Oh no, no. I wasn't eyeing you. I was trying to see if you had joined our ranks."

Zoe smirked and leaned forward a little, her eyes half lidded and one eyebrow raised, before asking "Oh, and my hips and breasts are going to tell you that? Please explain that theory." while also slowly licking her upper lip. Thalia audibly gulped and squirmed a little, before saying. "Oh, it, uh, it looks like Chloe needs help with the arm… um, I mean the infirmary. I'll go help her. Bye." and hurrying off, fast enough that she was gone quickly, but not so fast as to appear rude. I chuckled at Thalia's expense, filing away this particular meeting for blackmail material.

"Did you have to do that? You know she was looking to see if you had my blessing" I chastised half heartedly. Zoe didn't look at me, but said, "Did I have to do that? No, no I did not. Did I know why she was doing it, but also think I would get a laugh out of it? Yes, yes I did." It was now that she looked at me, her expression that had been aimed at Thalia still in effect, but now aimed at me. My stomach did a little flip when our eyes connected, and I suddenly understood Thalia's reaction. I found the look she was giving me quite… _erotic._ I could feel my face flush a little and my palms get sweaty, and squirmed at the unfamiliar feeling that was causing me to be rather hot and bothered. Unfortunately, she noticed my state, and her other eyebrow joined its sister in her hairline, and her jaw dropped. I flushed even more when I realised she knew the look had an effect on me. Thankfully though, her astonished face meant that her provocative look was wiped from her face, leaving me more or less able to school my features. I tried to pretend that the prior event hadn't happened, and said "I know you don't know anyone here other than Thalia, but I have to inform Chiron that we will be making our way to camp with you. I suggest you talk to Chloe over there," I pointed in the direction of the infirmary, and just realised that had been Thalia's excuse to leave. I smiled in amusement, before looking back at Zoe, who looked incredibly unimpressed, with one eyebrow raised, before she rolled her eyes and nodded. "I think you will get along best with her. Also, talk to Thalia. And this time, don't flirt with her." For some reason, what I said stung, as though she had said something harsh to _me,_ even if it was not the case. I decided to ignore it until a later date.

Zoe spluttered at my demand, and indignantly exclaimed "I wasn't flirting with her!" "Sure." I said before stalking off, still ignoring the sting of my own words.

 **Zoe POV**

I glared at the goddess' back as she walked away, before calming my facial features so that I didn't seem like I would be mad at Chloe, of whom I was approaching as Artemis had suggested. As I approached I realised how pretty she was, and stared for a moment. She had her back turned on me, so I could get a decent look at her without seeming stalker-ish. She had platinum blond hair, a colour I have rarely seen outside of movies, which ended at about the middle of her back. She had pale skin, the glow of which seemed to be enhanced by the silver clothes she wore, per the custom of the Hunters. I found myself with my mouth agape at the sight of her, and shut it with a barely audible snap, before swallowing and murmured, "Chloe?" I shook my head at my fixation on the girl, and asked a bit louder "Chloe?" She started, before turning around, and when she saw me she smiled softly. At that, my mind practically melted. She was _gorgeous_. What really caught my eye was, well, her eyes. They were a bright blue, and sparkled in such a mesmerising way, that I didn't realise she was talking until she snapped her fingers in front of my eyes a few times, forcing me to blink. I realised I had been staring at her face and flushed a deep scarlet. "I'm so sorry. Can you repeat… whatever you just said?" I murmured, looking down slightly in embarrassment. Instead of being angry, she instead laughed, before waving a hand in an uncaring manner.

"It's ok, really. I have that effect on people, so I'm used to staring. But generally, they're males, not another woman. In fact, I'm flattered that you couldn't think straight for a moment. When guys do it its creepy, when I catch another woman's' eye, it's a compliment. I asked what I can help you with."

"Oh! Ah, Artemis left me to speak to someone, and suggested that I come speak with you. I wanted to know if there is anything I can do to help, so I didn't get bored and nearly kill myself on a pile of leaves." She laughed heartily at that, and responded, wheezing a little, "You can't get killed by a pile of leaves! Not of the kind that falls from the trees around us anyway. It's not physically possible."

"You're an immortal maiden, bound by oath to a goddess, and the daughter of some god or another as, apparently, so am I. Your point on the impossible is invalid.' I deadpanned. She looked like she was going to retort, but a look of considering crossed her face, before she shrugged and agreed. "I suppose that's true. And my mother is a goddess for your information." I nodded in understanding.

"May I ask who?" Instead of answering, she smirked and said. "Guess"

"Aphrodite?" I asked without thinking. "I'm flattered, but shockingly no."

I took her in once more, and tried to determine who would fit as her parent. Demigods typically had many similarities to their godly parents, but I couldn't think of who it could be. She flicked a lock of hair behind her ear as she waited, and I couldn't help but notice it looked like shimmering snow in the sunlight. _Snow…_ "Khione". She looked genuinely surprised at that, and blinked at me owlishly, before smirking softly, and saying "That was surprisingly quick. Normally people guess for five minutes and give up. Most people don't even know who she is. You got it in two tries. Congratulations. Do you know a lot of gods?" I nodded, causing her to nod once, and ask, "On the topic of parents, do you know yours?"

 _Have for years._ I thought, though because of my 'newly discovered demigod' status what I said was "No, but Artemis believes it's Hermes. Can't be certain until I'm 'claimed' though, whatever that means."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. When it happens, you'll know. Back to you and your original query, you wanted to help? I'm practically done here, just let me put this crate," she said, softly kicking a small crate of supplies by her foot "away, and I'll see if there's anything I can get you to do."

Turns out, there was plenty to do. Apparently, it was chores day. So almost everything had to get done; arrows needed fletching and sharpening, as did the daggers, bows needed to be restrung, (i had assumed the weaponry was magically perfect all the time, being a gift from a goddess. Shows what I know) and the washing needed to be done. This I had blatantly refused to help with, which irked Phoebe, but Chloe had seen the scarlet shade my face had taken, and seemed to understand immediately, even if I didn't know why she did, and got the pair of us working on the arrows.

It was hard, a lot harder than I had thought. Chloe had shown me how to sharpen an arrow on a whetstone, and it had seemed easy. Then I had tried, and emHoly Hera/em; easy, it was not. I had broken the first three arrows because the arrowhead had refused to move, forcing me to pull harder. Which, in turn, broke the gods damned things. Thankfully, arrows were in no short supply. Unfortunately, arrows were in no short supply. There were hundreds of them, despite there only being about a dozen or so hunters. When I had asked, Chloe had shrugged and said "This is a months worth of arrows. Usually we do it fortnightly, but we were busy last time with some monsters, and haven't had time since." There was one bonus though. Artemis had been right; Chloe and I hit it off as if we had known each other since we were born. Quite soon I had gotten the hang of arrow sharpening, and I focused on her, and soon our chatter had us mechanically sharpening the arrows, whittling away at the huge pile, causing us to be done just after lunch, much to Chloe's surprise. She didn't explain why, it wasn't _that_ huge of a pile, but I didn't really care. I asked her if we should continue with the whetstone and sharpen the hunting knives, or fletch the few dozen arrows that needed it. She hesitated, but eventually decided to go with the blades. We only had a few left when another hunter, who introduced herself as Joey, informed us that dinner was almost ready to be served.

It was startling to say the least; normally, I hate doing chores, but that day had gone by so fast, though I think I had Chloe to thank for that. She was always optimistic, at least going on how she had been that day, and always willing to lend a hand. I knew Nico would hate her on sight. The smile I had faltered at the thought of my cousin. Then I froze. _Oh shit…_ Chloe didn't notice my facial features change before I schooled them, though she did notice me stop walking momentarily and humorously said "You better not be staring at my ass." That was something else Chloe did; because she got eyed a lot, she was used to sexual remarks, and because of my speechlessness earlier in the day, she made such remarks at my expense, usually with me returning with my own quip. I rolled my eyes, and decided to bring the Nico issue up to Artemis later, but drop it for the moment. "Oh, but fair maiden," I cried dramatically, "how may one such as I not stare in awe of thy buttocks, for thee have the glow of an eternal sunset, and an ass that stands out like the moon." I fluttered my eyelashes at her as the cherry on top, causing her to burst out laughing. I kept the innocent look on my face for a few more moments before I too burst at the seams. We kept walking, albeit slowly, with her guiding me to where dinner would be served. Our boisterous laughter slowly quieted down, and Chloe looked a little flushed, and I don't think it was from laughing too hard. We rounded the corner of a tent, only to see the entirety of the Hunt, including Artemis, sitting at an elongated picnic table, staring at us, some of whom had their jaws dropped, and many who seemed quite amused. Artemis herself looked like she couldn't decide whether to laugh or throw something at me, though for what reason I didn't know. Chloe was now a bright scarlet, and meekly asked "How much of that did you hear?" Phoebe, the only one who looked irritated, grit her teeth. "Oh, not much, only everything," she spat. A few of the other girls glanced at her, and another one elbowed her, forcing her gaze away from the pair of us. We made our way to our seats, which were on either side of Thalia, and thankfully at the other end of the table to Phoebe. As we sat down, it was Thalia who commented on my words to her fellow huntress.

"I was told that you would be bunking with me tonight Zoe. Is that no longer the case, or will I need ear plugs?" I nearly spat out the drink I had brought to my lips, and had to swallow quickly in order to stop myself from choking, inciting a round of laughter from many a gathered hunter. Thalia smirked at me and brought her own drink to her lips. Chloe quirked an eyebrow, and said, "You're welcome to join in if you want." Unlike me, Thalia actually _did_ spit her drink across the table, the seat of which was thankfully unoccupied, causing the dwindling laughter to erupt once again. Chloe reached around behind Thalia, and held her hand in a high five gesture, one I immediately obliged in giving. Our fun was brought to an end when Artemis coughed to get our attention.

 **Artemis POV**

I don't know why it bothered me so much, the apparent flirting between Chloe and Zoe, but it did. I know it had nothing to do with the fact that I knew Zoe was actually a boy, because most of the hunters (save Phoebe and, prior to today, Chloe) had flirted with him to _some_ extent at _some_ point, and he showed no interest in any of them. It didn't make any sense. It also had nothing to do with it being with another woman, as _hello,_ I grew up in Ancient Greece, where homosexuality was as common as the cold.

 _It's because it's aimed at **her** , not **you**._ A voice in the back of my mind treacherously supplied. I froze at that insinuation, eyes wide, which went unnoticed by anyone else.

 _Oh no, no, no, no, no. You did **not** just think that._

Except I did. And it scared me. I was even more scared, nay, _terrified_ , that I found it to be _true._ I was…jealous. It almost pained me to even admit it. I could feel my breath quicken, and my heart rate go through the roof.

 _NO! What am I thinking? You are not jealous. You are not jealous. What you are is delirious. Yes, that's right. Delirious… that's not much better_. It was uncomfortable regardless, watching the two of them, so I cleared my throat to get their attention, and acted as though I truly did believe my mantra. "As humorous as this is, could you perhaps tone it down, so we may eat without choking to death?" A low chuckle came from all around the table, before Zoe rolled her eyes and nodded, an action that Chloe imitated. I noticed Phoebe glare at the pair of them, which confused me. Perhaps she just wasn't ok with interest shown between two of the same gender. I couldn't see what was wrong with it, but I suppose unless she actually tried anything, there wasn't anything to reprimand her on. Not that there was anything going on with them.

 _And lets hope it stays that way._

 _Shut the fuck up!_

I grit my teeth, but decided to shovel food into my mouth, and listened to what was being said amongst the girls. I found that Phoebe had been able to remove all the spikes from the trap she found earlier, all save one, but everyone knew where it was, so it wouldn't be a problem. I also found that, somehow, Chloe and Zoe, whom I had mentally dubbed the Two O's, had managed to sharpen all of the arrows and daggers from the last _month_ , a task that should have taken two or three days. And all before dinner. Wow. Those girls worked well together.

Once dinner had ended, I went to attend to my chariot, when I was pulled aside by Phoebe. When I asked what was wrong, she grit her teeth and glared at Zoe, who was walking into her and Thalia's tent, and seethed. "It's Zoe. Something's up with her." At this I froze, as I had no way of foreseeing this from happening, and thus, no idea as to handle it. I swallowed, and asked, "Why do you say that?" She shook her head slowly, which was confusing because I hadn't asked her a yes/no question, but then she said "I don't know. Something just seems off. No, it has nothing to do with her shameless flirting, but that certainly isn't helping." She scoffed. "She acts like a boy." Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Do you really think that I would allow a boy, other than Jackson or Di Angelo, even a hundred yards of this camp willingly?" I asked flatly. The glint in her eye disappeared before she looked down and shook her head. "However," I added, causing her to look up, "I will see if she is up to anything out of the norm. And besides, she will only be with us until tomorrow afternoon." I have no idea what you mean. No, my stomach did not just flop at that. That is preposterous. I patted Phoebe's shoulder in a reassuring way, before flashing off to my chariot.

 **Zoe POV**

Once dinner had concluded, I followed Thalia back to our tent apprehensively. I had only just been 'found' again by demigods, and I just had to be paired with the person who knew me best, aside from Annabeth, which is still up for debate. This was going to be hard. Sure, we 'met' this morning, twice, but now we were in close quarters for a few hours. _Please don't let me screw this up_. When we were inside and she had zipped the flap shut, she made her way to her bed, and started to pull her shirt over her head. My eyes widened comically before I whirled around, averting my gaze from my best friend. She seemed to notice my behaviour, because I heard her stop for a minute, before she tapped my shoulder. Thinking she was decent, I turned to look at her before flushing a deep red and turning around again with a squeal. Decent, she was not. I was never getting that image out my head. She clucked her tongue, and said, "relax, we're both girls here." I shook my head hastily and spluttered out, "Please just put some clothes on." Well, you can put that at the top of my list of _Things-I-Never-Thought-I'd-Say-To-My-Best-Friend._ Right up there with _No, you can't start a storm and use yourself as a battery_ (long story) and _Why are you and Annabeth tied to my ceiling?_ (A _really_ long story.) After a moment of shuffling, she said "I'm decent." Turning around again, slowly this time, I saw her decent this time, with a raised eyebrow aimed at me.

"What, never see another girl get changed before?" She asked. "Besides, with the comments you and Chloe were making, one would think you have taken them off some many times." I glared at her for that comment. "I'm not a slut if that's what you're insinuating." Her eyes widened and she shook her head, as well as her hands. "What? No, gods no. That's not what I meant. I just thought that, well…" she trailed off, looking a bit lost in what to say. I eased off a bit, and shook my head. "No, I haven't been with a lot of people. Actually, I, uh, I haven't been with anyone, to be honest." I admitted. She blinked a few times, before looking confused. "Wait, so, all those innuendos and comments to Chloe and I," she said, flushing a bit at that, "they were all just that? Jokes?"

I nodded, and just realised the myriad of jokes I had said to her, that I _never_ would have said normally. I immediately started apologising. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just got dropped in this godly world, and I was stressed, and I make jokes when I'm stressed, or upset, or anything really and I…" I got cut from saying anything else, when Thalia's hand clamped over my mouth. She was laughing quietly, before saying "It's alright. I'm just not used to it. At least, not aimed at me. It is a little nice to be noticed, even if it is just for entertainment's sake." She looked a little down at that, and my brows scrunched up in concern. She realised she still had her hand covering my mouth, and dropped it. I caught her wrist, and asked "Are you ok?" She sighed dejectedly, and nodded. "Yeah, just thinking about… well, what could have been." Seeing my blank face, she pulled me down, so that I was sitting on her cot.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this. I trust you for some reason, despite knowing you for barely a day. Is that weird?" I shook my head. "No, I, uh, feel the same way about you." She snorted. "Believe it or not, that was actually the one phrase I've wanted to hear for years. But from… someone else." I was still confused, and it must have shown on my face, for she asked "Have you ever been in love?" I started at this. Thalia had been in love? With who? But then I realised; of course: Luke. I pitied her at this point, but tried to keep it out of my voice when I responded. "I was, or at least, I think I was. I don't truly know, to be honest." I supplied. "Why, were you?" She nodded, and murmured "He saved my life, multiple times. I would be dead if it wasn't for him." She smiled, soft and sad, before continuing. "He saved the life of one of my best friends to, and she grew to love him to." Yep, definitely Luke. "But he was also so, so… ugh!" She exclaimed, smacking the cot beneath us in frustration. "Infuriating?" I offered. She snapped her fingers and pointed at me. "Yes, infuriating! And oblivious to! Two girls, practically throwing themselves at him, and he sees neither." That was odd. Luke wasn't oblivious. Infuriating, yes, but not oblivious. But then again, everyone has a blind spot, and truth be told I didn't know Luke all that well. I know I didn't really notice Annabeth until our quest into the Labyrinth, so I can't talk either.

"But, if you were in love, why did you join the Hunters? Isn't love forbidden with a man?" I didn't even have to act; I was actually curious. She looked down sadly.

"Because he didn't seem to know that I was a woman, that I can love too. But he _did_ see a pretty blonde, and had it in for her for years."She sniffed before wiping her nose on her arm. "And then he had to go and get himself killed." She looked up into my eyes, and I saw unshed tears pooling in her eyes. I couldn't act like a stranger now, not with her like this, so I pulled her into a hug, resting my chin upon her head. She stiffened momentarily, before melting and wrapping her arms around my torso. She shook slightly, and I held her in what I hoped was a comforting embrace.

"So you joined, because you lost the one you loved, and didn't want to go through the pain again?" I asked, the second half of which actually sounding plausible, but knowing the first to be (mostly) false. She shook her head, still buried in my chest. "I'm hoping I don't have to go through it again, but I'm not that naive. And I lost him, lost him to _her,_ but he died years later. I still haven't *hic* haven't grieved." I knew I couldn't pull her in any closer, but I tried nonetheless, and buried my nose in her hair while she buried hers in my neck, and murmured "Don't worry. Nothing you say or do tonight will leave this tent. Just let it out."

And let it out she did. It started as quiet sniffles, but quickly built up to sobs so wrecking she was shaking like a jackhammer. I know she missed him, but I was surprised she missed Luke _this_ much. It was the most vulnerable I had ever seen her, and to her I was a complete stranger. She cried non-stop for a solid five minutes before she could say anything again.

"Why did he have to *hic* fall for her? He could still be alive if he was with me. *hic* Am I not smart enough? Not pretty enough? Why does it even matter if he's fucking _dead!?"_ She cried, smacking me in my breast at the last word. It hurt like a bitch, but I didn't do or say anything, and it seemed she didn't even realise she had done it. It almost broke me, seeing her like this. "Hey now, shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh." Her sobs continued, but grew a little quieter. "That's it. There there. I know I don't know you as well as this guy does, but I know you are intelligent. And you are pretty, but sometimes that isn't enough. Sometimes it's not the right _kind_ of pretty. Trust me, I know. And of course it matters, because you _believe_ it matters. True, he may have lived a long life with you, or he may have died sooner. You can't know with things like that. Life can be taken away at the snap of a finger. Considering we live in the world of gods, quite literally." She let out a shaky laugh at that, before sniffling again. She wiped her nose again, pressing her eyes into my skin. I could feel the tears making their way down my skin, and I started stroking her hair. Thalia seemed to find it comforting, as her sobs quieted right down, and she was barely shaking anymore.

"I know the death of a loved one is a painful thing, but… do you know if he at least went quickly?" I asked. She nodded, and in a more put together, although sleepier voice, she responded. "He went quickly, but I can't imagine it was painless." She was leaning heavily on me, so much so that she dragged the both of us down into the cot, with her laying partially on top of me. "I'm sorry to hear that. Was it poison, or something?" I asked, making to get out of her bed, before she tightened her grip around my waist, and sleepily mumbled "Please dont go. I need someone to hold, and to hold me tonight. Stay please?" She didn't even wait for my answer, before she continued talking. "And he was killed by lightning." I blinked in confusion. Lightning? "Luke wasn't killed by lightning…" I mumbled, barely loud enough for Thalia to hear me. "Not Luke," she sleepily whispered. "Percy."

I froze.

"His name was Percy Jackson, and he was killed by my father."

If she had been a little bit more awake, she would have realised that she never mentioned Luke. Unfortunately, I was wide awake, and would for the rest of the night. That was quite the information dump. I still couldn't wrap my head around it.

Thalia Grace, had fallen in love with me. And probably still was when I 'died'.

Oh, this shit just got a whole lot harder.

 **So, what did you think? I know i threw a few curveballs in there (mwahaha), and i fully intend on writing more, but i cant make any promises. I have no idea when i will upload again, but be certain; there will be more to come. Please be patient. Thanks for all the love and support, and any and all reviews are appreciated.** Also, i am aware of the coding that appears when i publish a new chapter. It doesnt show up until it is actually published. When you get a 'new chapter' message, please wait an hour or so so i can fix it. Cheers.


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